6D - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2003 I Blockbuster sequels fight to live up to hype n M. I ..L.. O-ZAf. By LUk emith Daily Arts Editor MOVIE REVIEW Last year "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was the finest piece of filmmaking the world saw. While the focus is incredibly dif- ferent in this year's model, the effect is the same. Peter Jackson's "The Two Towers" is more than just the best escapist film of the year; it is the year's best film. Without T1) E L OR OF r ep r isin g, recapping orC reiterating l the major events of "Fellowship of the Ring," Peter Jackson's "Two Towers" instead opts to deposit viewers right into the tumultuous Middle Earth, and deep inside the Mines of Moria where Gandalf battles the Balrog of Morgoth in a dizzying effects demonstration. Ringbearer Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his loyal companion, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), carefully navigate through Emyn Muil, a treacherous series of razor sharp rocks en route to Mordor, where the ring must be destroyed. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plains of Rohan. They are following an accosted pair of hobbits in Merry and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd) headed toward Isengard, by way of Rohan. The two halflings escape, falling into company with an Ent named Treebeard (John Rhys-Davies pro- vides the voice). It is from these three primary charac- ter groups that the narrative of "The Two Towers" bounces around, partition- ing its time heaviest toward Aragorn. The wise (now white) wizard Gan- dalf (Ian McKellen) returns to the fold in the film's first hour in a scene that would have been far more potent, had The RiNQ S=tb e e n [l O shown in the film's trailers. He rejoins with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas as they venture deep into Rohan. For all of the exposition in "The Fellowship," "Towers" introduces viewers to a number of new characters very quickly and with minimal pace-altering} explanation. We meet Theodenw (Bernard Hill), king of Rohan suffocated under the mind-poi- soning spells of Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Grima rules Rohan through Theoden's decrepit form with Saruman (Christopher Lee) presiding over the two. Only when Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas arrive in the Golden Hall is the spell on Theoden broken and the age and tear of Saruman and Grima's magic washed away. While Aragorn, Gimli and K ,~ Legolas encounter an unexpected guest of their own in the reborn Gandalf the White, Frodo and Sam gain a party member of their own, Gollum. The paper- r. thin gangly creature, tracking the Fellowship since the Mines of Moria, finally catches up with the Ringbearer. The very same Ringbearer who gets busted temporarily by Faramir (David Wenham), captain of Gon- dor and little brother to "Fellow- ship"'s best character, Boromir. As much as the fate of Middle Earth hangs in Frodo Baggins' hand, the success of "The Two: Towers," and perhaps even the final film "The Return of the King,"x hung on Peter Jackson and his team's ability to create a believable and realistic Gollum, a computer generated character fully integrated into the film. Gollum is everything he needs to be, and everything the digital characters of George Lucas' "Star Wars" prequels should have been. Andy Serkis provided the movements, voicing and the basis for Gollum's facial expressions. The raspy voice of Gollum slides from ven- omous to sugary as he wages his own inter- nal war. The strife is between Smeagol, a loyal, relatively harm- less personality and a shadow of the evil of which Gollum himself is capable. One dazzling sequence, a shot-reverse- shot between Gollum and Smeagol simultane- ously showcases Serkis' acting and the technological feats behind the character. Like Gollum himself, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy hinges on the tender meeting place between technology and acting. They function in symbiosis both propelling the story, neither capable of standing without the other. Like it's predecessor, the performances in "The Two Towers" give the film gravity in the environments of Middle Earth. Ian McKellen is painfully absent from much of "The Two Towers," making each moment he is on screen that much more of a treat. Elijah Wood's big eyes more and more resemble Gollum each time we return to him. Where "Fellow- ship" was Frodo's movie, "The Two Towers" is wholly Aragorn's. The future king of men is played wonderfully by Viggo Mortensen, who brings legiti- mate humanity to the role. Aside from Gollum, the film's best introduction is Theoden, king of Rohan. Bernard Hill's king is misguided and blind to reality, resembling Lear at some corners, and Arthur at others. Surprisingly powerful are the sequences between Arwen Evenstar (Liv Tyler) and Aragorn. While not contained within the actual text of "The Two Towers," much of the love story between the two is outlined in the work's appendices. From those appendices, writers Jackson, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and new- comer Stephen Sinclair adapt the love story beautifully, placing it in "Tow- ers" as a series of flashbacks, memories and dreams. Despite Jackson's reliance on familiar character archetypes (the anti-hero, the comic relief), the bond between Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas is established perfectly in "Towers." Viewers get a sense of this comaraderie, whether through jokes between characters, or Legolas staunch defense of Gimli in the face of the Riders of Rohan. The battle of Helm's Deep, an incredible sight to behold (and largely the product of the com- puter program MASSIVE) shows Uruks moving too quickly up ladders, looking somewhat jerky, erratic, and unfortunately, generated. Which is not to say that the sequence isn't an amazing portion of an even more amazing film - but it is flawed. Even more than last year's "Fellow- ship" the narrative of Tolkien's "The Two Towers" needed a makeover in order to succeed on film. Were it sim- ply a strict adaptation, the battle of Helm's Deep would've wrapped up midway throughout with the latter half of "Towers" being Frodo, Sam and Gollum's approach toward Mor- dor. Criticizing Jackson's interpretation and selective editing of Tolkien's text is fruitless. The changes made to the text only improved it, making an otherwise un-filmable book an inconceivable filmic masterwork. Photos courtesy of New Line Cinema Pnotos courtesy or warner Bros. Who's the cat who won't cop out, when there's danger all about? Morpheus? Right on! By Ryan Lewis Daily Film Editor Four years ago, an unsuspecting populace entered theaters and became enveloped in the world of a film unleashed with nearjyzero anticipatign. Jhose,,diene~syiewed what hast, become part of the new cannon of blockbuster action films. The story and visuals the masses were privy to became one of the most beloved, most sampled and most analyzed cul- tural phenomena at the end4 f4he cen*tury4 That same blessed thrall of moviegoers everywhere finally finds fulfillment in one of the most highly publi- cized and anticipated sequels in cinema's history: "The Matrix Reloaded." Directors Andy and Larry Wachowski reset the bar for action/fighting/science fiction films with the release of the original "Matrix." Innovative fight choreography and the debut of bullet time forever changed cinema. Stiff, realistic brawls and normal explosions were no longer enough - if it didn't have the style and flash,,it wasn't wprtbwhile. In every facet of the mass media, from movies, to commer- cials, to music videos, 360-degree photography was a must. Always envisioned by the brothers as a trilogy, the suc- eess of the first film provided -both, the want -and the means for the follow-ups. The public spent years salivating for more, and the studios doubled the funding to provide newer, sleeker special effects. (Carrie-Anne Moss) battling agents, climaxing with a seemingly fatal bullet wound. Soon enough, the action cuts off as Neo (Keanu Reaves) awakens from the nightmare. Morpheus (Laurence Fish- burne) and his slim numbered crew return to the last human haven of Zion to discover that the machines are burrowing down from the surface for a final battle to destroy mankind. For the first time, we discover that doubters exist amongst the population as to whether Neo is truly "the One." Certainly the Wachowskis' penchant for action becomes apparent in the Zion scenes, because the film drags terribly and loses focus in the time spent dawdling in the sacred city. Plot becomes muddled in endless questions that find no answer and the annoyingly contraction-less speeches of Morpheus. Superfluous scenes like the rave juxtaposed with ;. Neo and Trinity inter-coitus are devoid of pertinence and, therefore, do little more than prolong the time between each amazement. Finally, Neo receives a mes- sage from the Oracle, and the ship returns to the outer world. Back in the Matrix, Neo receives instruction on how to fulfill his destiny, and the story resumes with the tpurpose of, finding the Keymaker to open the door of light. Re-enter Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). Defeated by Neo, Smith went into exile instead of submit- ting to self-destruction. Back to exact his revenge/duty, he now has the uncanny ability to replicate himself using any human form within the Matrix. This brings about the incomparable and aptly-named "Burly else will find the anticipation shattered and bested beyond what was once deemed impossible, much thanks to fight cho- reographer Yuen Wo Ping and his team. Not only does the pio- neering Universal Capture process make each individual Smith snarl and grimace look unquestionably real, but also the battle, the choreography and the cinematography incompara- bly one-up the original. Luckily this translates into forgiving the fact that the scene itself is pointless to the story other than to reintroduce the specific anti-Neo. New characters like Monica Bellucci's Persephone, the Twins (Adrian and Neil Rayment) and Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) are more than welcomed, adding interesting subplots to rejuvenate the. story after its initial lull. The other highly-discussed chase sequence, not to mention the altogether more-real-than-Superman flying of Neo, and the climactic finale twist and turn "Reloaded" into a worthwhile and meaningful extension of the Wachowskis' amalga- mation of philosophi- cal questions, anime and numerous other, influences.. A I t h o u g Ii. "Reloaded" does provide a strong case~to-stapd onits, own, it finds fault in. having neither a beginning nor a con- crete denouement. Since the brothers originally planned "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" as one story broken into two movies, audi- ences must suffice with what basically serves as little more than a two-plus hour preview for "Revolutions." Hopefully viewers will be satisfied with the open-ended- ness of the story. The onslaught of eye-candy makes even "The Matrix" look dated, and I even found myself saying "Wow!" at some points. Even though the story struggles through the first hour and falls short of its intricately woven predecessor, the questions posed linger long after the end, and the payoff makes it all worthwhile. Modern Style Tobacco Accessories ,Wooden & Glass Oddities tPuzzle Boxes Carved Boxes State Glass Jewelry 322 Ashley 4. 734.930.6699 UAshy For those select few who neglect- ed to see the first installment, don't expect an introduction. Fantastic visuals fill the opening scenes in bullet time intermixed with quick cuts of the ever-beautiful Trinity turn your roommate's tv into beer money replace that nasty thing you call a couch find the perfect b-ibe-gift for your new prof upgrade to a futon big enough for 2...or 3 Brawl." Expectations abound, this fight sequence is noth- ing short of breathtaking. 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